“When most people think ‘Photoshop retouching’ they think pores, making eyes bright and hair shiny, but there are a lot of different things you can do.” That’s how Aaron Nace kicked off the conversation during his Photoshop Week class, Perfecting Environmental Portraits in Photoshop. Environmental portraits place the subject in context – which lends meaning and adds interest but can easily distract from the primary subject.

In order to ensure your environmental portraits strike the right balance of keeping this interesting while keeping the viewer focused on the intended focal point, Aaron offered some simple tips that make your retouching process more streamlined and effective.